Tiger Balm

By Steve Amoia

Until 2001, I never knew that this product existed. Like most North Americans, I was familiar with Ben Gay, which is also a topical analgesic. But it was during an acupuncture protocol that I was introduced to this soothing, fragrant, and healing balm from Asia. The licensed acupuncturist, Dr. Sen Huang, http://www.huangclinic.com, first placed the balm under my nose to relax me for the initial treatment. Afterwards, he placed Tiger Balm on the various acupuncture points where needles had been placed on my body. Dr. Huang also advised me to use Tiger Balm for muscle stiffness and pain. I noticed that it took much less of the Tiger Balm than Ben Gay to achieve a similar result.

History of the Product

In the late 1870s, a Chinese Hakka herbalist, who was named Aw Chu Kin, moved to Rangoon, Burma to market his unique balm. Aw Chu Kin had two sons: Aw Boon and Aw Boon Har. When their father died, the brothers moved the company operations to Singapore in the 1920s. At this point, they marketed their product as Tiger Balm, and began to sell it throughout Southeast Asia.

Presently, the Tiger Balm product line is owned by Haw Par Corporation, which is publicly traded on the Singapore Stock Exchange. Their very informative company web site may be found at http://www.tigerbalm.com. The product line is licensed to Haw Par Healthcare Ltd. According to the product insert, the North American distributor is Prince of Peace Enterprise of Hayward, CA. Throughout the world, Tiger Balm may be purchased as an over-the-counter (OTC) drug. Fortunately, I can buy this product at the local pharmacy.

Key Ingredients

Tiger Balm is available in ultra strength, red extra-strength, and white regular strength. According to the product insert for the green label (white regular) Tiger Balm, it contains Menthol and Camphor as its active ingredients. Other ingredients are Dementholized Mint Oil, Cajuput Oil, and Clove Oil in a Paraffin Petrolatum. (1)

Common Uses of Tiger Balm

Tiger Balm, as I mentioned earlier, is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is also a staple for athletes and martial artists around the world to treat arthritis, muscle soreness, joint pains, head and back aches, along with other bodily and skeletal problems. It can also be utilized as a warm-up and/or warm-down treatment before and after physical exertion. I have also discovered, thanks to Dr. Huang, that Tiger Balm works very well for sinus congestion as an external treatment rubbed around the nose and sinus areas. The product, which will fit into the palm of your hand, is very convenient to carry. It easily fits into the pockets of a jacket or trouser. Even for students of �Dragon� Kenpo, we can take advantage of the healing benefits from the �Tiger.� :-)

References

(1) Product insert for Tiger Balm Green Label. Haw Par Health Care Corporation, Ltd, Singapore. Product of Malaysia.

Author�s Note

A special thank you to Mr. James Chan, Regional Manager of Haw Par Healthcare Limited, Singapore, for his kind assistance with this article.

My Visit to WDK Headquarters

Submitted by Jim Patus

I had never been to the WDK headquarters. Over the years there were the half-hearted attempts to get to Wisconsin for some festivity or other that Coach Pfeiffer was putting on but it just never happened. Based on emails and on-line chats with Coach Pfeiffer about Tai Chi, I knew that the upcoming Tai Chi training seminar in Lake Geneva was important to him. OK, this is the time for a commitment. This also gives me a chance to see what�s going on in Wisconsin at WDK headquarters, at our honbu dojo. I registered right away. �OK, Coach, I�m in.�

The semester at the college where I teach was just getting started and it was early enough that I could easily get away for a couple days without getting too far behind. I have no classes on Thursday or Friday this semester so I didn�t have to worry about getting someone to cover my classes. I convinced my boss that this was Biology related enough to skip my scheduled office hours on Thursday. I decided to fly and rent a car rather than drive, mostly because I wasn�t sure about the trip back and how tired I would be driving the 300+ miles back from Lake Geneva and going to work the next morning.

It turned out that Dr. Lamb�s group could not send an instructor to the seminar because of the low enrollment. Coach Pfeiffer decided that he would follow through with the seminar anyway. I was really glad. In fact I was somewhat pleased that I would be able to receive instruction from Coach Pfeiffer. Coach Pfeiffer suggested that if I come to Wisconsin I should plan on my black belt test while I am there.

I had not traveled by air in a couple years and was not looking forward to the hassles in the airports. I scheduled everything so that there would be plenty of time. I didn�t want to have to rush. At the Louisville airport I had the privilege of being the randomly selected bearded person who would be more thoroughly searched. When I arrived at Milwaukee there were some festivities on the runway that led to an hour delay in getting my luggage. Leaving Milwaukee there was a huge wreck on the interstate that had traffic at a standstill.

After all this chaos, the last leg of the trip was very pleasant. After exiting the interstate, the drive through the Wisconsin countryside to Lake Geneva was quite relaxing. The landscape has a tranquil pastoral serenity that helped me �come down� after the hectic experiences in the airports and interstates.

I arrived at Lake Geneva and by more luck than sense I made my way directly to the Plaza where I had reserved a room. Coach Pfeiffer had recommended the Plaza. It was perfect. It is almost directly across the street from the Geneva Lakes YMCA. The Plaza is pretty much a �no frills� kind of place but its rustic �architecture� and the amicable greeting by the pleasant staff was just what I needed at this point in the day. I gave a call to Coach Pfeiffer to let him know I made it and I then set out on foot for a bite to eat.

The sun had already set as I was making my way through Lake Geneva. The people I encountered on the street were very friendly; one young lady even stopped me to ask directions. I was struck by the contrast to what I was used to back home where most people would avoid a stranger at night. Talking to strangers at night may not be the safest practice in the world but the na�ve innocence of the situation was refreshing.

The next morning I had breakfast with Coach Pfeiffer. He told me later that he had used the breakfast as an �interview�, the first part of my black belt test. At the restaurant I was once again pleased by how pleasant everyone was. The simple breakfast tasted really good. I felt like I was on vacation; to some extent I guess I was.

Coach and I went down to the lake shore and with the waves lapping the beach we went through the Tai Chi for Arthritis form. It was like something out of a novel. Lake Geneva is one of the most pristine bodies of water I have seen in many years. It is quite evident that both residents and visitors respect their environment and treat it well. I wish I could take my Environmental Science class to Lake Geneva. We go on field trips to see environmental problems but we seldom have an opportunity to see the other side. To all those who say, �What�s the use? A few people can�t really make a difference�, I say, �Go to Lake Geneva and see what can happen when a few people really care�.

We drove back to the Y where Coach Pfeiffer introduces me to some of the Y staff members and showed me around. He shares a modest but comfortable office at the Y where he has Internet access and can maintain the dragonkenpo.us Web site. The Y has several different rooms that are suitable for martial arts activities. I got the distinct impression that the folks at the Y really liked Coach Pfeiffer (who wouldn�t?) and that he pretty much had the run of the place as far as scheduling activities.

In Coach Pfeiffer�s office he gave me a peek at the inner workings of www.dragonkenpo.us. I didn�t get to explore the site as much as much as I would have liked but I was very impressed. It has a lot of powerful features, especially features that help track student activity. I learned some things about using the site that I was unaware of.

Coach spent the bulk of the day Friday with Mike Wiesnewski and me working on Tai Chi for Arthritis. Of course I have been impressed over the years with the quality of the coach�s instruction via video; I was now able to get first hand experience observing him with a live class that included me. I have been teaching for over twenty years. I learned a lot about teaching that day, not about �education�, but about the effect that someone who is enthusiastic and knowledgeable about his subject can have on students who are anxious to learn. Coach Pfeiffer�s method appears effortless and he adapts continuously throughout his presentation, yet maintains �the syllabus�. Mike was clearly ahead of me on the Tai Chi. Keeping with the WDK spirit he helped a lot by positioning himself so that I could make use of him as a target for my weaker movements. He also loaned me a DVD player so that I could review videos on Friday night.

Another high point of Friday was getting to meet Mrs. Pfeiffer and daughter Stephanie. Coach Pfeiffer�s approach to martial arts is a family approach. This is true both in putting family into martial arts and putting martial arts into the family. Stephanie is responsible for the camera work on many of the WDK videos and son Ronnie appears in the �Entries� video.

It was back to the Plaza in the late afternoon and a little review of the techniques for my black belt test. Back at the Y, under Coach Pfeiffer�s direction and with the invaluable assistance of Chris V I went through the techniques for first black. I am indebted to Chris for hitting the ground for me many times so I could get the techniques right.

Going through the techniques with Coach Pfeiffer I learned a lot. There�s a lot on the videos that�s easy to miss. Sometimes when I go back over the training videos I see some point that I never noticed before. Sometimes in our training group someone will make a comment that something might not have been brought out in a video that was important and someone else says, �Yes it was, right there on technique three.� And sure enough, there it is. I cannot emphasize to my fellow distance learning students the importance of trying to work with a training group. It is really hard for one person to catch every detail, but several people have a much better chance. Also, this brings out the importance of going over a video even after you think you know the techniques. I�m still learning from the yellow videos every time I watch them.

After my test, the students started streaming in for the Friday night class. It was mostly young folks. Chris stayed for the class joined by his children. There were some new kids signing up and Coach Pfeiffer made them and their parents feel welcome. The parents of most of the children stayed with them and observed the class. Again, there is a very strong sense of family participation.

Coach Pfeiffer asked if I would lead the class warm-ups but I respectfully deferred to Chris. Next time I may not be so reticent but I wanted to see it done before jumping in. I was very impressed by the discipline that all students demonstrated and their respect not only for Coach Pfeiffer but for �Sempai� Chris, who conducted much of the class. Coach asked me to go around and help students. I used a Socratic approach and asked the students questions about the techniques that they were performing. Some were a little self conscious at first but all were able to express an understanding of what they were doing. Every student put effort into every activity in the class. Every student paid attention to what was going on. The class was very intense. Every student left with a look of enthusiasm and invigoration. Every mom and dad seemed happy, too, involved with their children.

Later that evening I spent some time walking around Lake Geneva. It is a quiet town. It is a very clean town. It is a happy town. Down by the lake you can smell the clean water. I slept well that night.

The next day, Saturday, our Tai Chi group was joined by Jeff Hansen. When I commented that I recognized him from the WDK videos he was very humble. I felt honored to meet someone who had contributed so much to my knowledge of martial arts.

I thought that despite the small turnout the Tai Chi sessions went very well. Those of us who attended had the benefit of receiving a lot of individualized attention; hopefully Coach Pfeiffer benefited from running the seminar with a small friendly group before addressing it to a larger audience.

Coach Ron, Mike, Jeff, and I had dinner that night and talked about a lot of things in addition to karate. How pleasant to spend some time, hundreds of miles from home, with real people, real friends!

I left Lake Geneva Sunday morning, savoring the drive back to Milwaukee. I arrived at Detroit from Milwaukee to discover that there was a two hour delay for the plane from Detroit to Louisville. I wasn�t even upset. The weekend had definitely had a calming effect on me.

The trip was worthwhile for many reasons. First of all, I completed my black belt test; second I learned a lot about Tai Chi. Most important to me was that I made contact with the place and the people that have been part of my life for a long time now. Now when I watch the videos, in my head I hear my own voice saying, �Yeah, I�ve been in that room, I�ve met that person� and there is a new reality. I want to go back. I want to attend another class. I want those I train with to be able to go with me. I encourage every distance learning Dragon Kenpo student to make the pilgrimage. You are part of an organization that is very real and very dynamic.
Jim Patus 1st Dg Black Belt
Indiana State Director

Although Rick isn't a DK instructor (yet) he's always been very supportive of World Dragon Kenpo and has offered this article for our membership. Many thanks Rick!

Over the years of tutoring students with behavior challenges, I've noticed a pattern of negative reinforcement by both parents and teachers in an attempt to diminish or stop such behaviors.

Let's review some basic behavioral reactions from all human beings. This includes both adults and children since these are basic behaviors.

Children and adults avoid negative stimuli.

This includes but is not inclusive to spankings, getting yelled at by the boss, or even disapproving looks.

Children and adults attempt to receive positive stimuli

This includes but is not inclusive to hugs, getting complemented by the boss, or even approving looks.

In the absence of any stimuli children and adults will attempt to create situation wherein responses by authority figures or peers is motivated.

In most cases I've witnessed in both children and adults the activity to promote this stimuli tends to be in the form of a negative behavior issue. Again, this applies to both children and adults from throwing paper airplanes to antics at the water cooler at the office.

Why are these behaviors primarily negative?

Let's consider the way we were raised.

I've actually had successful, intelligent parents tell me and I quote one person

"My wife and I don't believe in rewarding expected behavior."

What do you believe my former student will do when he/she feels a need for attention? Do well on a test? No, that's expected. As is behaving in class, in public and basically acting in an appropriate manner in all situations.

I've seen the same attitude in over 75% of the parents who hired me to consult with them over email or tutor their child and it's not the parents fault. Most parents don't have a background in teaching, counseling or psychology They raise their children, in most cases, the way they were raised. Getting the occasional tip from another parent or television. If the technique the parent uses even temporarily hinders a behavior. They feel successful.

For the most part, if the child has no extreme behaviors, the parents techniques raise a socially acceptable child with average goals in life, but at what loss of potential?

Let's look inside the mind of a child through adulthood.

Let's presume he/she has average self-trained parents who understand the benefits of positive reinforcement, but are, for the most part unsure how to execute it and therefore is sporadic at best.

Here's a scenario;

John gets an A on his test. Parents praise him.

The next class John tries hard though he gets a D. Parents admonish him.

John gets another D in the same class. Parents ground him

John gets yet another D parents take away his hand held gamer

John stops trying in the class

John resorts to acting out for attention in that class

As his peers grow accustom to his behaviors John escalates them in order to receive the same amount of attention.

The parents finally have a meeting with the teacher of that class to find out why John gets into trouble in that class.

This can escalate further but generally doesn't. Do you now understand, however, why we act out in a negative manner in order to get attention. We keep the traits in us which are reinforced whether this reinforcement consists of negative or positive stimuli.

Let's now examine some parents who, through classes study or perhaps even buying my book (were they the one's) understand the importance of consistent positive reinforcement.

John gets a D on his test

A compliment is followed by constructive questions

John changes his study habits

John still gets a D

The parents hit a heavy bag, power-walk and release their stress in constructive ways.

A compliment is followed by constructive questions

The parents have a meeting with John's teacher for the class.

The teacher works with John.

John probably does better on the next test.

Regardless of the results John still has his support group and is not alone. Which means I probably won't get the �you're my last hope� call.

Let's carry both these scenarios into adulthood

Primarily Negative Stimuli

John graduated high school with B's and C's He's working at a grocery store. He bags groceries and is a hard worker. He does what he's told at work because he doesn't want to get into trouble. He shows up to work regularly and has had a few raises.

Scenario with primarily positive reinforcement

John graduated high school with A's and B's. He started out bagging groceries. John knew he could do better than that. He worked hard utilizing the same positive reinforcement techniques his parents had utilized with him to improve his self-confidence. The customers, coworkers, and management appreciated his positive attitude and hard work. John asked questions and was not afraid to try or suggest new ways of performing daily tasks at work.

He's now the manager of the grocery store with a very busy schedule as he is taking college courses in the evening.

Conclusion

Though John's character is fictional, the results are not. Self-confidence and a lack of fear to attempt to achieve tasks without negative reprisals due to temporary lack of achievement is a must for the building blocks for both leadership and innovation. Without consistent positive reinforcement the child's chances of realizing this self-confidence to perserveer and to develop and initiate new ideas and methodology is greatly restricted.

Elvis Aaron (later changed to Aron) Presley was born on 8 January 1935 in Tupulo, Mississippi. His twin brother, Jesse, was stillborn. At the age of ten, his mother, Gladys, took young Elvis to shop for a birthday present. The choice was between a rifle and a guitar. I think we all know which one he selected.

Mr. Presley became well-known for his singing and acting talent. He was very popular with young people, and his performances were initially deemed controversial by adult audiences. Adolescents wanted to move like him, dress like him, and boys wanted their hair styled in his famous �ducktail.� He was a prolific song writer, and appeared in many movies. He recorded his first album in 1956, and had estimated global sales of 200 million units during his career and after his untimely death in 1977.

In 1958, at a time when his popularity was soaring, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, and served a tour overseas in Germany. It was during this period that Mr. Presley began his life-long affinity and dedication to the study of martial arts. He also would meet his future wife, Priscilla, along with humorist Art Buchwald, and former Secretary of State, the honorable Colin Powell, who was a lieutenant with the Third Army Division. Mr. Presley was honorably discharged, and remained a patriot for the rest of his life. In 1970, President Nixon appointed him Federal Agent at Large in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.

At the recommendation of Grandmaster Parker, Mr. Presley began to train with Master Kang Rhee in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1970. Their association would last for four years. At the Kang Rhee Institute, all students adopted an animal name for which they were addressed in the dojo. Mr. Presley was known as �Mr. Tiger.�

Master Rhee recalled their initial meeting. �Elvis explained to me that he had begun training in the martial arts because he was fascinated with the movements. He found the movements graceful as well as artistic and had the idea to incorporate them to make his stage performances more exciting.� (3)

In 1973, he was awarded a 7^th degree Black Belt by Master Rhee. Mr. Presley was also an instructor at the Pasaryu Karate Association, which was managed by Master Rhee. �Once during a training session he was instructing a female student in a break-away technique which called for the victim to scrape the shins of the assailant. After repeated attempts by Elvis to get her to perform properly, the exasperated student came down so hard against his shins that he almost fell down with pain. She had learned.� (4)

Master Rhee reflected upon his famous student. �Elvis was very humble. In many ways, Elvis taught me more than I taught him. He insisted on training and teaching in regular classes with other students. He quickly realized that students were watching him rather than paying attention in the class. He asked me to arrange a demonstration which would allow the students to view his technique and see that he was attending class as a martial artist, not as an entertainer. I selected a day when a promotion (rank advancement) test was already scheduled and combined the two events. I selected this day because Elvis particularly enjoyed working with children and the student to be tested was a boy. (5)

�The image is one thing and the human being is another. It�s very hard to live up to an image.� Elvis Presley

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